Appearing on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio laid out the Trump administration’s latest push for peace between Israel and Hamas, arguing that the new proposal represents the closest the region has come to a full hostage release and offers a viable path to peace — if hard choices are made, and the right steps followed in order.

Rubio emphasized that the first phase of the Trump plan is non-negotiable and paramount: the release of all 48 hostages — 20 alive, 28 deceased — in exchange for Israel pulling its forces back to the so-called “yellow line,” a line roughly aligned with Israel’s military position as of August 2024. “This is the closest we’ve come to getting all of the hostages released,” Rubio told host Martha Raddatz, underscoring that “every single one” must come home before any long-term solutions can even be considered.

Rubio repeatedly stressed that everything depends on that initial breakthrough. “Priority number one is to get the hostages released,” he said flatly. Without that step, “you ain’t gonna have long-term peace here.”

The second phase of the deal, Rubio explained, involves building a governance structure for Gaza — something the U.S., Israel, and international partners would oversee. The vision includes technocrats, preferably Palestinian, with no ties to Hamas or any terror group. It’s a massive challenge, Rubio admitted, but essential to any “permanency to the end of the conflict.”

Raddatz pushed Rubio on the controversial issue of Palestinian statehood. “Yes or no: does the Trump administration support Palestinian statehood?” she asked. Rubio refused to box in the answer. “That’s not a yes or no question; that’s a process,” he replied. He acknowledged that the aspiration exists, but cautioned that statehood must be earned through credible governance and guaranteed security — not handed to an entity still harboring genocidal intent toward Israel. “Forget about statehood” if Gaza remains a breeding ground for terror, he said. “We can’t have a Palestinian state that’s governed by Hamas.”

That’s where demobilization enters — a critical piece of Phase Two. “As long as there’s a threat emanating from Gaza against Israel’s security,” Rubio warned, “there isn’t going to be peace.” Whether it’s Hamas or a future group, any entity committed to building tunnels, firing rockets, or kidnapping civilians must be disarmed and dismantled. “That demobilization has to happen,” Rubio declared. “Clearly, Hamas is an organization that we do not believe can be a part of that.”

Pressed on logistics, Rubio noted that military operations must pause to ensure safe hostage exchange. “You can’t have an exchange of hostages if bombs are going off and active combat is occurring,” he explained. Israel has agreed to suspend offensive operations — only responding to imminent threats like potential suicide attacks.

But with Hamas known for playing games, Rubio was also clear-eyed about risks: “If it’s clear that the hostages aren’t going to be released and they’re playing games,” he said, “then I think the president stated what our position is going to be.” He didn’t elaborate, but the implication was unmistakable: Hamas has a limited window to comply.

Rubio also made it clear that Trump wants the deal to move fast — no weeks of dithering over details. “We cannot be here three weeks from now still discussing the logistics of how hostages are going to be released,” Rubio warned.

In a nutshell, the Trump peace framework is two-fold: First, secure the hostages’ release, a non-negotiable prerequisite. Second, build a secure, non-terrorist governance structure for Gaza. And while Rubio remained “optimistic,” he also made it clear: “This is not going to be easy.”

But, he added, “We are in a much better place today than we were seven days ago.”

Sec Rubio: "Until Gaza is governed by people that are not interested in destroying Israel, until there are no security threats emanating against Israel from Gaza, forget about statehood.

Right now, the priority number one is to get the hostages released.” pic.twitter.com/nO4cpnEd2e

— Arsen Ostrovsky 🎗️ (@Ostrov_A) October 5, 2025

“This is the closest we've come to getting all of the hostages released. Every single one.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed optimism that a deal between Hamas and Israel to end the war in Gaza could finally be reached.

Read more: https://t.co/45YCwsYvhB pic.twitter.com/jFqk6psCMa

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) October 5, 2025

Gubernatorial candidate Winsome Sears (R-VA) hit Democrats in her state with a brutal ad after they failed to condemn their own candidate for state attorney general, Jay Jones, over resurfaced texts in which he advocated for violence against his political opponents.

“Reject the insanity,” the ad challenged, showing the texts Jones had sent in 2022, calling for former state House Speaker Todd Gilbert (R-VA) to be murdered. “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head,” Jones texted to Del. Carrie Coyner (R) at the time. “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.”

WATCH:

🚨 NEW AD: Jay Jones dreamed of murdering two young kids and their dad over politics—and Abigail Spanberger wants him to be attorney general. pic.twitter.com/RoipSKn436

— Winsome Earle-Sears (@winwithwinsome) October 5, 2025

The ad showed some of the fallout in reaction to the texts and other comments Jones had made, including saying that he’d attend the funerals of Republican lawmakers in order to “piss on their graves” and suggesting that Gilbert might change his political positions if he and his wife were forced to watch one of their children die.

Immediately after shining a light on Jones and his comments, the ad pivoted to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger and a few other Democratic candidates, none of whom have denounced Jones or called for him to bow out of the race.

In fact, Democrats in Virginia had largely doubled down on Jones, as The Daily Wire previously reported, suggesting that he was still better than any potential Republican alternative.

Louise Lucas, president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate and a marijuana dispensary co-owner, said in a statement, “There is no place for political violence or violent rhetoric in our public discourse, and Jay must take accountability for his actions. But we will not allow this moment to overshadow the stakes of this election. … The choice before us is far bigger than this mistake.”

Sears has called for Jones to remove himself from the race — and even The Washington Post has raised the question as to whether or not a person making statements like Jones did had the “temperament” to serve in elected office.

“Curbing the epidemic of political violence will require leaders who do not incessantly inflame routine partisan conflict,” the WaPo piece read. “But text messages that Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for Virginia attorney general, sent to a GOP legislator, which emerged Friday afternoon, cast doubt on whether he has the temperament to become the state’s top law enforcement officer.”

When a Democrat has lost The Washington Post, he’s got big problems.

Jay Jones should do the right thing and withdraw from the race.

Abigail Spanberger and Ghazala Hashmi should do the right thing and call on Jay Jones to withdraw.

He does not have the temperament to lead. pic.twitter.com/5DrHucmYZg

— Virginia GOP (@VA_GOP) October 4, 2025